Austrian Parliament Building: Do A Leisurely Stopover Here When You Are In Vienna

It became a tearful morning in Vienna, as we bid goodbye to one of our European relatives. Bidding farewell to a family is not only painful, it also makes you forget the good things right in front of you. You just instantly want to get lost in the melancholy at hand. Luckily, the grandiose presence of the Austrian Parliament Building was there to keep us back to reality. Tears of joy in an instant.

The Austrian Parliament Building is the beating heart of the political activities here in Austria. Even when you approach the building, you can breathe in the history and stories that seem to emanate its rich architecture. Covering 13,500 square meters and with over one hundred rooms, the interiors and exteriors are neo-Greek style looking. The roof, materials, bronze works, grounds, and views are so iconic, it makes me believe it’s a similar yet better version of the one you can see in London or in Berlin. Of course, comparisons are inevitable, but distinctiveness will always be ever-present in each landmark. The Austrian Parliament Building is special.

Five of the buildings here were designed by Theofil von Hansen, who studied architecture in Athens and the Greek influence clearly shows in his design for the Austrian Parliamentary Building. So much historic personalities have graced the grounds of this area, which makes it even more extraordinary. For us mere modern mortals, we found ourselves taking a quick pit stop at the footsteps of the building, ala-local style.

When the Austrian Parliament is in session, a Visitor’s Centre is open to anyone interested in the Austrian Parliament. The entrance is directly behind the statue of Pallas Athene on Ringstrasse, under the ramp leading up to the main entrance. I saw tears of joy in an instant, especially since the place is just an obvious reminder of how beautiful life can be...plus if you have your own family right beside you enjoying the moment that the universe graciously blessed you with, there’s no other feeling to feel but wow.

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Bowdy is an amateur adventurer, a coffee sleepyhead, and a start-up rooter, with a penchant for classic-looking photos. At last count, he has visited some 52 countries, and is now living in Singapore. He's always in search of fascinating routines to exploit, within the edges of after-office hours and (un)limited holidays.